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Coyotes-Wolves-Cougars.blogspot.com

Grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, coyotes, cougars/ mountain lions,bobcats, wolverines, lynx, foxes, fishers and martens are the suite of carnivores that originally inhabited North America after the Pleistocene extinctions.
This site invites research, commentary, point/counterpoint on that suite of native animals (predator and prey) that inhabited The Americas circa 1500-at the initial point of European exploration and subsequent colonization.
Landscape ecology, journal accounts of explorers and frontiersmen, genetic evaluations of museum animals, peer reviewed 20th and 21st century research on various aspects of our "Wild America" as well as subjective commentary from expert and layman alike. All of the above being revealed and discussed with the underlying goal of one day seeing our Continent rewilded.....Where big enough swaths of open space exist with connective corridors to other large forest, meadow, mountain, valley, prairie, desert and chaparral wildlands.....Thereby enabling all of our historic fauna, including man, to live in a sustainable and healthy environment. - Blogger Rick

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

San Francisco considering ways to defang coyote clashes

Getty Images

Coyote sightings in San Francisco could be posted online and mapped out under a management plan that also would include an educational campaign and tips on how to coexist with the animals.

The City does not know the exact number of coyotes here, but there have been repeated sightings in the Presidio, Golden Gate Park, Diamond Heights and Glen Canyon, among other areas. Yet unlike other cities and communities nationwide, San Francisco has no management plan to deal with the critters.

That would change under a proposal backed by Sally Stephens, a director with the Commission of Animal Control and Welfare. Stephens wants to combine educational outreach with online information about coyote sightings.

The educational component would include the best techniques for "hazing" — a method of shooing away coyotes. The animals are usually docile and reclusive, but when they become comfortable around people — usually a product of being fed regularly —problems arise, Stephens said.

In 2007, officials from the California Department of Fish and Game were forced to shoot two coyotes in Golden Gate Park after the animals repeatedly harassed and attacked nearby pets. In 2008, officials had to put down a coyote in the Presidio for similar behavior.

The management plan would inform residents of measures to take to avoid those outcomes.

Also, if conflicts with coyotes do arise, The City would have a coordinated plan to deal with the problem, instead of the ad hoc responses that have marked past incidents, Stephens said.

She is working with Project Coyote, a Marin-based organization that has helped craft management plans in other urban areas. Gina Farr, communications director for the organization, said each city needs a plan unique to its situation.

One contentious issue is the posting of coyote sightings online. The mapping could prove useful for residents, but Farr said there are concerns people could use the information to harm coyotes. However, Farr said because San Francisco has a history of tolerance toward animals, she is confident the online database would be a plus.

On Thursday, Stephens will present the management proposal to the animal commission. The plan and its components, including potential costs and funding sources, could be approved for recommendation by the commission. The commission's recommendations are not binding, but often help influence decisions by the Board of Supervisors.

The Los Angeles suburb of Calabasas recently approved a coyote management plan that includes an online reporting program. Daniel Pankau of the city's environmental services division said the plan has been instrumental in helping residents peacefully coexist with coyotes.

Two Massachusetts Eastern Coyotes at their den site

Eastern Wolf in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada

Aldo Leopold--3 quotes from his SAN COUNTY ALMANAC

"We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect."

Aldo Leopold

"A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise."

Aldo Leopold

''To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering."

Wildlife Rendezvous

Like so many conscientious hunters and anglers come to realize, good habitat with our full suite of predators and prey make for healthy and productive living............Teddy Roosevelt depicted at a "WILDLIFE RENDEZVOUS"

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This is a personal weblog. The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer. In addition, my thoughts and opinions change from time to time…I consider this a necessary consequence of having an open mind. This blog is intended to provide a semi-permanent point in time snapshot and manifestation of my various thoughts and opinions, and as such any thoughts and opinions expressed within out-of-date posts may not be the same, nor even similar, to those I may hold today. All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. Rick Meril and WWW.COYOTES-WOLVES-COUGARS.COM make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis.